Thermopower energy waves propagation in novel generation carbon fibers/ fuel composite

The development of technological devices and their increasing use provide various conveniences. However, it's necessary to develop appropriate energy sources to sustain their use. A novel method has been developed for the generation of electrical energy, which differs from conventional techniques in that it relies on the propagation of thermopower waves generated by the exothermic reaction of fuels on a conductive core material. In this study, electrical energy was generated by the interaction of thermal waves with copper-coated carbon fiber core structures. Copper nanoparticles were produced via electrolysis and subsequently coated on the carbon fiber surface. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that the electrolysis process resulted in the formation of copper (Cu) and copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) crystal structures. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed the presence of Cu- Cu2O nanostructures on the carbon fiber (CF) surface. Furthermore, Raman analysis revealed that the D and G bands of CF were disappeared as a consequence of the Cu- Cu2O coating. In the thermopower wave measurements, picric acid-sodium azide fuel was added to the 4 cm Cu- Cu2O coated CF surface, resulting in the generation of 30.24 mV energy upon fuel ignition. Meanwhile, it was observed that the temperature reached 844 degrees C instantaneously. A consequence of modifying the length of the Cu- Cu2O coated CF was the observation of a sevenfold change in voltage. The results obtained are of great significance in terms of advancing our understanding of energy extraction from thermal power waves.